Alan's Uncertainty
by InfamousCrisCris
Summary: When Jake and Eldridge's shopping cart stunt goes horribly wrong, Alan has doubts about how he is going to turn out, and what he could've done to help. Charlie reassures him that he will be there for Jake no matter what.


**My very first Two and a Half Men fanfiction, hope you enjoy it even though it's just a one-shot.**

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**Alan's Uncertainty**

Alan and Charlie were standing on Charlie Harper's porch, when they looked up to see Alan's sixteen year old son Jake and his friend Eldridge fly of the roof in a shopping cart. Alan Harper's face turned white as his only son plummeted to the beach below. If it weren't for the fact that his son was severely hurt, he would have been fuming.

"Oh, god, are you alright!" Alan called to Jake, but there was no answer, "Jake!"

"Jake, buddy, answer your father!" Charlie shouted worriedly. After seconds of looking at each other, Alan and Charlie ran down the stairs to check if the two boys were still conscious. As they reached Jake and Eldridge, Alan thought his throat was closing up on him.

"Jake!" he cried out in horror, "don't worry Jake, you'll be okay." as Charlie dialled the hospital on his cell phone, Alan checked for any sign that could be fatal to his son and his friend, thankfully, there were none.

"They're not dying, thank god." Alan breathed. Moments later an ambulance drove up the house and Charlie and Alan carried Eldridge and Jake to the back. Alan looked at his sixteen year old son's blooded face and tears rolled down his face.

"Where did I go wrong?" he asked himself out loud.

"You did not go wrong." Charlie replied, "You may've screwed up on yourself but Jake still has his whole life ahead of him."

"And you always said he was a farting, eating, dumb failure." Alan sighed.

"He may not get to a big, artsy fartsy collage, but he can still get into a trade school." Charlie told him.

"Forget it Charlie." Alan sank his head, "I suck as a father, my life is a big fat joke!"

"Okay, first of all, why are you beating yourself up about an accident. Just be grateful he is still in one piece." Charlie replied.

"That's not funny." Alan looked at him very frightened, his life was a mess. He couldn't hold a relationship down to save his life, and divorced parents always had a tough time at some point in the lives of their children. However, Alan felt he could have done better, he could have helped Jake study, guided him through the difficult trials and paths of growing up and realizing the world around him, but of course he didn't want to be too safe, or else Jake would have turned out to be just like his father. On the other hand, Charlie's antics haven't exactly made it easier on Alan or Jake either when he was growing up. And Judith wasn't exactly any help to them as well, it was her fault Jake was in this mess. She kicked Alan out, forcing him to live as a third party guest at his brother's house, exposing Jake to adult situations at a young age, and just as worse, Jake was able to soak it up like a sponge, if only he'd do that with school…

"Alan… Alan!" Charlie's voice snapped the heart-broken forty-one year old man out of his thoughts.

"Whoa!" Alan jumped back and fell on his butt, noticing he was still in the back of the ambulance. Charlie tried to hold back his laugher, knowing his brother was still in a hurt state.

"Sorry." Charlie helped Alan up from his place on the floor of the ambulance, "listen, it'll still take years, but Jake is still learning, and you just need to give him some time. We can guide him as much as we can, but ultimately… he needs to make his own decisions. Even if he does make the wrong ones, you did the best you possibly could, and that's all you could ever do. I… want to tell you something Alan… I don't want to have children because I don't want them to turn out to be just like me."

"What about the Charlie Harper gene pool?" Alan asked Charlie.

"I've been through so much since I met Jake, I've grown fond of him, I tolerate you because of these moments… the moments where we talk about Jake and how he has grown up." Charlie told Alan, "The Charlie Harper gene pool is still going to live on…, but as I learn about relationships and commitment… as scared of it as I still am, Jake has enough of my knowledge to know how things work, but no too much that he'll turn out to be just like me."

"Are you sure he doesn't know too much… I mean, what if he accidentally gets a girl pregnant!" Alan panicked.

"Remember, Alan, I always know to where a condom, Jake know that too. He won't turn out to be like me, your his father, you have more influence over him than I ever have. I will do anything to help you lead Jake on a good path, it make not be a right path like you wanted, but I will make sure he doesn't go too far down the wrong one." Charlie told Alan.

"Really… you would really help your sad excuse for a brother maintain his son's unstable path?" Alan asked, looking at his brother with tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, come here you big sap." Charlie and Alan shared a brotherly hug at that moment. Alan wasn't sure where Jake would end up in the end, but the two would make sure that the growing boy would at least lead a slightly less than average life


End file.
